


After the Unthinkable

by flipflop_diva



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gen, Natasha Needs a Hug, POV Steve Rogers, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Protective Steve Rogers, Rape Recovery, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 11:57:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12232365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/pseuds/flipflop_diva
Summary: He found her in a deserted hallway, sitting in a corner, her legs pulled to her chest. He sank down beside her and pretended not to notice the half-hearted scowl she gave him at the intrusion."Please, Steve, I just want to be alone.""I know you do. But I think you know I'm not going to do that."





	After the Unthinkable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Wavesinger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Wavesinger/gifts).



> Written for the Darkest Night 2017 fest.
> 
> The_Waveslinger, you had so many amazing prompts, it took me a long time to decide how to go about this. But I'd had this idea in my head for awhile and your prompts helped me give it a better structure, so here we are!
> 
> I like to think of this as a scene of a larger work (that maybe I will write someday), but it takes place somewhere between AoU and Civil War.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

He found her in a deserted hallway, sitting in a corner, her legs pulled to her chest. He sank down beside her and pretended not to notice the half-hearted scowl she gave him at the intrusion.

“I’ve been looking for you.” He kept his tone light.

“I’ve been right here.”

"The doctors are requesting your presence. Fury wants everyone checked out before he lets us leave."

"I'm fine."

He was careful how he answered. "Just humor them."

"I'd rather not."

She wasn't going to budge. He knew if she had her way, she was going to sit here, in this deserted hallway, until they landed back in New York, and then she was going to slip off the helicarrier and disappear, vanish for a few hours, a few days or maybe even a week or two. Even though she had never gone off for that long before. Not since they had moved into the new Avengers facility anyway. But nothing like this had ever happened before. 

He wasn't going to let her do that, though. Just because she had been trained — raised — to suffer in silence didn't mean she had to. But he also wasn't going to force her to see the doctor. Forcing her to do anything was the very last thing he wanted. 

He tried a different approach. "How are you feeling? And don't lie to me. We agreed."

Her eyes narrowed, and he wouldn't have been surprised if she had snarled at him, but instead she just sighed, a soft sad sound. "Please, Steve, I just want to be alone."

"I know you do. But I think you know I'm not going to do that." He paused, thought about reaching out a hand, thought better of it. "I'm not going to make you tell me anything you don't want to tell me, but I'm not going to leave until I know you're okay. At least physically. We need you - the team, the world, _me_ \- and there is no way in hell I'm leaving you alone until I get confirmation you're not going to bleed to death on me."

"Language, Rogers."

"Start talking, Romanoff."

She sighed again, leaning her head back against the wall, a little harder than she had obviously meant to. She winced. 

It was his turn to sigh. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just checking." He reached out his hand for real this time, placed it on the top of her head. Her red strands were matted together, but he couldn't tell if it was from blood or just dirt and sweat. He swept his hand over the back of her head. There was a bump the size of an egg hidden under her curls. She winced again when his fingers touched it. 

"They hit you?" He asked softly. 

"Kicked me."

"Where else?"

She stared at him, her eyes challenging, daring him to make her answer. He watched her in return, keeping his eyes gentle but the expression on his face firm. He wanted her to know he was her friend, that he cared about her, but also that he was in charge and she needed to answer. 

Finally, she pointed down at her stomach, then stretched her legs out in front of her so he could have access. He placed a hand, palm down, on her belly and moved it around, fingers dipping in experimentally at various points. She whimpered slightly when he moved them along her right side. Broken ribs probably. 

"How many of them were there?" he asked quietly as he checked her other side. He felt her tense, just the smallest fraction, under his touch. 

"I don't know." There was no inflection in her voice but a quick glance at her face told him it was only because of immense effort. "I wasn't conscious for all of it. Four that I know of."

"They drugged you?"

"I'm not sure."

Steve figured that was code for no. So they'd probably just beaten or tortured her until she passed out. He looked her over even more carefully. Most of her skin was covered by her suit, although there were rips and tears all over it. All her visible weapons were gone at least. Even the blue current that normally ran through her suit was black and still. He could see what looked like red welts peeking up above her collar and on her wrists. And her neck and face were already peppered by what looked like the start of horrible bruises. 

He didn't ask about any of that though. Instead he just said, "You should really let the doctors look at you."

"Is that an order?" She pressed her lips into a straight line. 

Was that an order? He wanted it to be, thought it probably should be. Natasha wasn't exactly being forthcoming about her injuries, and if there was something she wasn't telling them or had maybe overlooked ...

But it had only been a couple hours since Steve and Sam, along with Tony and Fury, had rescued Natasha and the others, and he really didn't want to give her any type of order. Plus, truth be told, he was much more worried about her mental state right now than her physical one. He knew it hadn’t been her fault they’d all been captured, but he could tell that she thought differently.

"No, it's not an order."

"Good. Then can you please leave? I would, but do you know how hard it was to find a place without other people?" Her lips curved into something that maybe could have been an attempt at a smile. He noticed her upper lip was puffier than the bottom. 

He rose to his feet. "I'm going to come check on you in an hour." 

"If you have to."

He turned to go. Her voice stopped him. 

"How's Rh-Rhodey?" She stumbled over the words.  

Steve couldn't look at her when he answered. "He’s fine physically. Barely a bruise."

"And Wanda?"

"Completely untouched."

She sighed. "Then everything's fine," he heard her whisper. He had a feeling she was talking more to herself then to him. He wanted to spin around, shout angrily — "Everything is not fine! Wanda told me you volunteered to let them _rape_ you!" — but he didn't. Instead he headed down the hall, pretending he didn't hear her, leaving her alone. 

He’d be back in an hour to try again.


End file.
